Chapter 483 – My Master Is Not Human – Great Chaos (29)
Only after leaving the cave abode did they realize that the situation outside was even worse than they had imagined.
Demonic qi ran rampant, spiritual qi had nearly dried up, and walking corpses wandered aimlessly through the villages.
And that was considered one of the better situations.
The imperial court had taken emergency measures, gathering the mutated civilians into isolated camps. However, they still couldn’t determine what had caused the rivers to turn black, the crops to stop growing, or the people to mutate. Worse still, the number of infected people continued to rise. The emperor and his officials were so overwhelmed with worry that they were practically pulling their hair out.
The air outside the protective barrier lacked the fresh, clean atmosphere of the cave abode.
The little squirrel rolled over in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath. Then a wave of foul stench hit him, making it impossible to keep sleeping. He sat up inside Pei Boyi’s pocket.
What’s shaking? Why is it so dark? Where’s A-Yi?
Still half-asleep, the little squirrel was utterly bewildered.
Wasn’t I sleeping in our big bed? Did I get kidnapped again while I was asleep?
Sensing the change in Bai Tang’s breathing, Pei Boyi reached into his pocket and gently lifted the little squirrel into his hands.
“Tang Tang, you’re awake.”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” What’s going on? Where are we going?
They were walking through a vast desert. Yellow sand swirled endlessly through the air, blotting out the sun overhead. The gloomy sky was so dark that it resembled a slumbering demonic beast, waiting only for the right moment to open its eyes and devour everyone in its path.
“The demonic qi has spread,” Pei Boyi said, gazing toward the horizon. “The great war is about to begin.”
In the distance, the sky was pitch black, as though an immeasurable amount of resentment and demonic qi had gathered there.
Bai Tang looked in the same direction, but in his squirrel form, he couldn’t see that far. Squinting his eyes, he thought to himself:
What is A-Yi looking at? Is it more interesting than me?
As they continued on their journey, they passed countless villages.
The fortunate ones had managed to isolate the mutated villagers while evacuating the remaining survivors.
The unfortunate villages had no survivors at all.
The foul odor—a nauseating mixture of countless indescribable smells—left Bai Tang lightheaded. It was revolting, yet strangely familiar. He had the vague feeling that he had encountered a similar smell somewhere before.
“Hiss…”
Bai Tang clutched his head.
The harder he tried to remember, the more intensely his head throbbed.
Pei Boyi gently placed his fingers against Bai Tang’s temples and slowly massaged them in soothing circles.
“We don’t have to force yourself to remember,” he said softly by Bai Tang’s ear. “Whatever happened in the past is already over. What matters is the present… and the future.”
With Pei Boyi’s gentle reassurance, Bai Tang’s headache gradually eased.
Pouting slightly, he said, “But we’re Dao companions. I want to remember our past together. Otherwise… it’s too unfair to you.”
A-Yi treated him so well, yet he had forgotten every memory they had shared. Pei Boyi alone carried all of those memories and emotions, while he remembered nothing at all.
It wasn’t fair.
Pei Boyi leaned down and kissed Bai Tang gently on the forehead. His eyes were filled with unmistakable tenderness.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as Tang Tang never leaves me again, that will be the greatest compensation I could ever ask for.”
Bai Tang nodded.
Yet, deep inside, a faint sense of unease lingered. He couldn’t explain why, but it kept him from making such a promise so easily.
After leaving the cave abode, the rumors naturally reached Bai Tang’s ears.
He had never imagined that everything had started because of him.
Looking at the mutated civilians, Bai Tang was overcome with guilt and resolved to cure them.
At that moment, the advantages of being the story’s protagonist finally came into play.
Although Pei Boyi had not inherited the many legacies he originally would have obtained in the original storyline, losing them was not necessarily a bad thing. Because of Bai Tang’s interference, the plot had advanced ahead of schedule. His current strength was no weaker than it had been in the original story.
After all, he had regained his memories, bringing all of his former abilities back with him.
His Devour ability—the power he had possessed in the post-apocalyptic world—had also carried over into this world. However, in the cultivation world, such an ability would be regarded as an unorthodox and sinister technique, so he rarely used it.
Now, though, it was the perfect solution.
Devour could consume and erase virtually anything.
Under Bai Tang’s expectant gaze, Pei Boyi used the ability to devour and eliminate the demonic qi inside the mutated villagers. The sickly bluish-black color gradually faded from their faces, returning them to a healthy complexion.
One after another, the villagers collapsed to the ground.
Before long, they would wake up.
The land could no longer produce crops. Plants had withered away, and even those that stubbornly survived could no longer bear fruit.
Bai Tang took out stores of grain and fresh fruit, placing them beside the unconscious villagers.
“This should be enough to last until the war is over.”
He distributed the food carefully and fairly, making sure everyone received an equal share.
No one got more, and no one got less.
That way, there would be no need for anyone to fight over it.
Having done a good deed without leaving his name behind, Bai Tang clapped his hands in satisfaction before taking Pei Boyi with him to the next village.
Time was running short.
They needed to save as many people as possible before heading to the battlefield when the war began.
…
At the Le’an Immortal Sect…
As the situation grew increasingly dire, the Le’an Immortal Sect found itself ostracized by the righteous sects. None of the major anti-demon strategy meetings invited them anymore.
At first, Sect Master Siyuan had tried to contact the few sects that had not openly shunned the Le’an Immortal Sect, but every attempt ended in disappointment.
As time passed, some of the disciples could no longer endure the isolation and requested permission to leave the sect.
Sect Master Siyuan did not try to stop them.
Everyone had the right to choose their own path.
The sect’s current predicament was the result of standing by Bai Tang’s side. The departing disciples couldn’t understand that decision, and neither Sect Master Siyuan nor his fellow elders wished to drag innocent disciples down with them.
While Wen Leng and Yin Chun were traveling in search of survivors to rescue, they unexpectedly crossed paths with Bai Tang and Pei Boyi, who were doing the very same thing.
Yin Chun froze for a moment when she saw them.
Then her face lit up with delight.
“Dao Lord He Yi!” she called out.
Wen Leng, however, was looking at their clasped hands. On each of them was the same Dao companion mark.
In a calm voice that revealed neither joy nor sorrow, she said, “You’ve become Dao companions.”
Her tone was so even that it was impossible to tell what she was feeling. Instead, it was Bai Tang who grew a little embarrassed.
Leaning against Pei Boyi, he replied shyly, “Yes.”
The joy Yin Chun had felt at finally finding them caught in her throat. It wasn’t until Wen Leng said, “Congratulations,” that Yin Chun found her voice again.
“C-Congratulations. This… came rather suddenly.”
If Qiu’er had been there, he would definitely have sighed and said, “Our Tang Tang is just too charming. He even won over the heroine’s heart.”
Unfortunately, Qiu’er wasn’t there to witness Bai Tang unintentionally stealing the male protagonist’s admirer.
“You’ve both seen the situation outside,” Wen Leng said. “It’s urgent. The Sect Master has been looking for you. We’ll talk on the way.”
Without waiting for their response, she turned around and started walking.
She wasn’t worried that the two of them wouldn’t follow. Given the current situation, there was no room for anyone to avoid their responsibilities. Besides, knowing Bai Tang’s personality, he would never choose to run away.
Bai Tang exchanged a glance with Pei Boyi.
Pei Boyi smiled gently at him.
“No matter what happens, I’ll be with you.”
The four of them set out on the journey back.
They made no attempt to conceal their whereabouts. Both the righteous and demonic factions were searching for Bai Tang. Every assassin and pursuer they encountered was intercepted by Pei Boyi, Wen Leng, or Yin Chun.
Bai Tang was treated like an endangered giant panda.
Despite the constant attempts on his life, not a single attacker even managed to lay a finger on him.
Although they encountered a number of obstacles along the way, the four of them returned safely to the Le’an Immortal Sect.
After the fragment of divine sense hidden within the demonic qi was wounded by Pei Boyi, Wang Cheng’s hatred for the two of them only deepened.
He decided to accelerate his plans.
He no longer cared about the process.
Only the outcome mattered.
Once he became the ruler of the world, no one would be able to defy his will.
He ordered his subordinates to drive the mutated civilians toward the major sects, using them to surround and pressure the righteous cultivators.
The righteous cultivators could strike down demonic cultivators without hesitation, but they couldn’t bring themselves to attack innocent civilians.
Although those people were under the control of demonic qi, they could still be saved.
For a time, every sect found itself trapped in an impossible dilemma.
Meanwhile, Wang Cheng took advantage of the distraction to infiltrate the imperial palace and capture the Emperor.
The Emperor was the ruler of the mortal realm, recognized by the Heavenly Dao itself. He was protected by the aura of the True Dragon.
And that aura was precisely what Wang Cheng wanted.
The aura of the True Dragon was an extraordinary treasure. It originated from ancient times and lay outside the Heavenly Dao’s direct control. The Heavenly Dao merely bestowed it upon whoever ascended the throne, allowing the Emperor to govern the people and protect the realm.
Cultivators sought to ascend and become immortals.
But after attaining immortality…
What then?
Would they simply spend eternity with nothing left to do?
It wasn’t like that.
Even after becoming an immortal, one still had to continue cultivating. There was always a higher heaven beyond the current one and stronger beings beyond those already known. Only true supreme experts could tear open space itself and travel to even higher realms.
This information was recorded in a journal Wang Cheng had discovered in the abandoned cave abode of a demonic cultivator who had successfully ascended.
The journal also stated that the True Dragon Aura was incomparably domineering. Even if someone had not yet reached the Tribulation Transcendence stage, as long as they knew how to use it properly and found the right opportunity, they could tear through the void and ascend directly.
Although the mortal emperor was protected by the True Dragon Aura, he was still only an ordinary man. Before a demonic cultivator, his strength was utterly insignificant.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Wang Cheng forcibly extracted the True Dragon Aura that protected the emperor’s soul.
Tearing it away by force caused tremendous damage to the emperor’s soul.
By the time Wang Cheng successfully seized the True Dragon Aura, the emperor was already on his last breath. His death was only a matter of time.
Wang Cheng couldn’t have cared less when the emperor died.
In his mind, he was already imagining the deaths of Bai Tang and Pei Boyi.
Laughing triumphantly at his own fantasy, he strode out of the imperial palace.
Only after he had left were the palace maids and eunuchs outside able to move again.
When they hurried inside to attend to the emperor, they discovered that he had already stopped breathing.
“His Majesty… has passed away!”
The shrill cry was filled with uncontrollable grief.
The emperor had been a good ruler. He cared deeply for his people, respected the virtuous and the capable, and had truly lived up to his position. Sadly, he had been born in the wrong era.
During his reign, disaster after disaster had struck the realm. In his tireless efforts to solve the people’s suffering, he had worked himself to death in the Imperial Study.
At least, that was how it appeared to everyone else.
Even after repeated examinations, the imperial physicians could reach no conclusion other than that the emperor had died from overwork.
The crown prince was only five years old, far too young to govern.
Until he came of age, who would oversee the affairs of the imperial court?
The old crises remained unresolved, and now an even greater one had arisen.
One disaster after another…
With the emperor’s death, the mortal world lost its recognized ruler.
All things possess spirit.
The passing of the Heaven-recognized emperor accelerated the dissipation of spiritual qi, allowing the demonic qi to spread even more recklessly throughout the world.
An emergency meeting was immediately convened within the Le’an Immortal Sect.
The righteous cultivators had suffered one defeat after another in their battles against the demonic forces. More and more sects had fallen.
If the lips were gone, the teeth would soon feel the cold.
If they failed to take action now, it would only be a matter of time before the demonic qi reached the Le’an Immortal Sect as well.
With a sorrowful expression, Sect Master Siyuan laid out the grim reality before everyone.
Silence filled the hall.
Every person present felt the same grief, helplessness, and despair over the catastrophe that had befallen the cultivation world.
The demonic cultivators were certainly detestable.
But the true cause of this disaster was the infighting and mutual conflict among the righteous cultivators themselves.
Bi Guang Demon Saint extended his hand toward Bai Tang.
“Demon Lord Songzi, you once promised to recover the Shura Ice for me. May I ask where it is now?”
Bai Tang lowered his head slightly.
“I’m sorry… I still haven’t found it.”
Bi Guang Demon Saint had expected exactly that answer.
If Bai Tang had already recovered the Shura Ice, the situation would never have deteriorated to this point.
Although Bi Guang Demon Saint said nothing more, the implication was obvious.
Had Bai Tang not become distracted by falling in love and neglecting the matter at hand, the mastermind’s scheme would never have succeeded.
He let out a faint sigh.
In truth, Bai Tang couldn’t be blamed entirely. The mastermind had planned everything meticulously from the very beginning. Even without the Shura Ice, he would have found something else to serve as a substitute.
This war…
was always destined to happen.